7 Apps Guaranteed to Make Tax Season a Breeze

Tax season isn’t fun for anyone. While filing your taxes means digging through shoeboxes of receipts, guessing at what number goes on which line and and pounding your head against real or imaginary walls, it can be even worse.

Luckily there are a few great apps that can help ease the frustration of tax time. This year, let your phone save you some irritation — and maybe even some money.

TurboTax SnapTax

If you don’t own a home, have children and earned less than $100,000 (or $120,000 if married) in 2011, your tax filing is considered “easy.” Here’s an app that will make it even easier. With SnapTax, from the makers of TurboTax, just take a photo of your W2 and the app will automatically input your information.

Download for Free:iPhone (Pay $24.99 for Federal and State Taxes) | Android (Pay $24.99 for Federal and State Taxes)

H&R Block Mobile

If your tax return is a bit more complicated, the H&R Block app allows you to file while accessing a tax professional with any questions that arise as you go through the forms. It also provides information on local H&R Block offices so you can book an appointment online.

TaxCaster by TurboTax

If you’re not quite ready to do your taxes yet, but you want to know if you can afford that fancy dinner tonight, TaxCaster is the app for you. This app allows the user to quickly estimate his tax refund or payment before filing.

IRS2Go

The IRS keeps track of what you’ve done, now you can keep track of them. With this app, you can follow the IRS Twitter feed, watch the IRS YouTube channel and most importantly, check the status of your refund.

iDonatedit

Come March or April, it can be very hard to remember just how many sweaters you gave to Goodwill the previous summer and even harder to determine how much they were worth. Download iDonatedit now to track all of your non-cash donations throughout the year and your 2012 filing will be much less of a guessing game.

iXpenseIt

A great app for a small business owner, iExpenseIt allows the user to track expenses as they go, instead of facing a mad scramble at tax time. The spending reports that this app generates allow the user to clearly list costs and deductions that can make for a smarter and more profitable tax filing.

Dictionary of Tax Terms

Feeling like you need to go back to school just to make it through the tax forms? With this convenient dictionary, you’ll have a pocket reference for all of the jargon that you can encounter while doing your taxes. It might not make you richer, but it will provide you with a wealth of information.